No Filipino in Morocco infected with coronavirus, says envoy

MANILA, Philippines — No Filipino in Morocco got infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Philippine Consul General in Morocco Agnes Cervantes said Tuesday.

“As of now, we have not received any report of a Filipino na nagkasakit ng COVID,” Cervantes said in a televised briefing.

However, Cervantes said that some Filipinos have expressed desire to be repatriated to the Philippines after losing their jobs in Morocco.

“Ngayon ang hingi nila sa amin ay matulungan yung iba, matulungan sila na makauwi sa Pinas because of the economic life, because of the lockdown, meron mga kababayan na nawalan ng trabaho (Some are asking us to help them return to the Philippines because of the lockdown, since some lost their jobs),” she said.

“They have been asking us for help so they can be repatriated to the Philippines. Pero sila, maliit lang ang kanilang number compared to the total Filipino population in Morocco,” she noted.

(They have been asking for help for their repatriation to the Philippines, but they are just a small component, compared to the total Filipino population in Morocco.)

Cervantes said only essential businesses are allowed to operate in Morocco, but the small North African nation is “opening up a bit,” following the decrease in the number of new COVID-19 infections.

There are so far at least 7,800 reported COVID-19 cases in Morocco with 205 fatalities.

EDV